Electrical conductor for lighting purposes.



APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1904.

Patented Mar. 12,

UNITED s'rAT Es PATENT OFFICE.

ISADOR LADOFF, 0F SGHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 0F FIFTEEN ONE-HUNDREDTHS TO WALTER D. EDMONDS, OF B OON- VILLE, NEW YORK, FIFTEEN ONE-HUNDREDTHS I'O PHILIP C. PECK, OF NEW YORK,

N. Y., AND SEVENTY ONE-HUNDREDTHS I'O ANNA M. LADOFF, OF SC HENEGTADY,

NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR FOR LIGHTING PURPOSES.

1,019,970. Original application filed December 2,

To all whom 'it may concern.

Be it known that I, ISADOR LADOFF, a citizen of the United States, residing in Schenectady, county of Schenectady, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Conductors for Lighting Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the constitution of that part or parts of an electrical conductor which are adapted to produce illumination when the current is turned on, as for instance the pencils of the are light.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an elevation of a pencil embodying my invention as hereinafter described.

My researches have demonstrated that the metal titanium possesses properties which when that metal, or its oxid chemically uncombined with carbon, is introduced into the composition of the pencil of the are light, results in a notable increase of candle power from its luminous are as compared with that derived from other substances under similar conditions, and also results in increasing the life of the pencil when the current is turned on. Moreover the character of the resulting light is such as to avoid the disproportion of the red or other color lines objectionable in carbon pencils, and to approach more closely than has heretofore been accomplished the desired whiteness of sun light.

The titaniferous element may be incorporated into the pencil in many dilferent ways, according to conditions presented by any particular case. For instance I have produced pencils embodying my invention for use in the are light by constructing them out of an alloy of titanium and some other metal also giving a luminous arc and possessing greater conductivity as for instance iron, the alloy being treated and shaped as described in my original 9. plication for Letters Patent of the United tates for my present invention filed December 2nd 1903, Serial Number 183,528, of which my present application is a division.

My now described invention relates to the incorporation of the titaniferous element into the pencil in the form of the oxid of Specification of Letters Patent.

1903, Serial No. 183,528. 18, 1904. Serial No. 213,065.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Divided and this application filed June titanium instead of the elemental form of that metal. My pencils thus containing oxid of titanium may be constructed in anyterial, as for instance water, glycerin, tar,

linseed-oil or the like to impart to the powder adhesion and plasticity, such as to enable the material to be pressed or squirted into the desired form in molds under hydraulic or other pressures, in the manner, for instance, in which carbon pencils are now produced for a similar purpose. The resulting pencils were allowed to dry in the open air under room temperature for several hours, itbeing important, as will be appreciated in this art, to avoid a too rapid drying, which tends to distort the shape of the pencils. After this preliminary air drying, the pencils were further dried in an oven at a temperature of about 200 degrees O. or thereabout for a period of about forty-eight hours. After this the pencils were packed carefully in carbon, and subjected for about two days and two ni hts to a temperature of from 1200 to 1500 degrees 0., after which they were cleaned and thus finished ready for use, care being taken, it will be observed, to expose them as aforesaid to a sufiiciently high temperature in the presence of carbon, (or carbon monoxid, hydrogen or any other reducing agent might have been employed) and for a sufiicient time to insure substantially complete reduction of the iron oxid added to the rutile as.

aforesaid so as to incorporate into and within the body of the pencil the metallic element of such iron oxid in its essentially metallic or elemental state. It follows that in all cases my pencils comprise a metal having conductivity adequate for the purposes of. the are light which said metal is homogeneously distributed throughout the body of the pencil in combination with the titaniferous element likewise homogeneously distributed, and that in these of my pencils in whichthe titaniferous element exists as an 02nd of tltanium as aforesaid its sa1d.

- essentiall metallic pencils,as distinguished from car on pencils for instance, orfrom encils consisting of compositions of other mgredients including metallic ingredients such as oxids which are supported or rendered adequately conductive, or both, by

separately constructed and applied metal devices such for instance as wires, tubes or cylinders, etc., or by merely external metallic coatings otherwise produced as by deoxidation of the surface of the pencil, my understanding being that the word metallic is answered by a substance containing or having the characteristics of a metal, and when I thus designate my pencils as being essentially metallic I thereby mean to use the word metallic in its proper sense, as signifying not a. substance havlng'some of the characteristics of a metal, but metal itself.

It will be observed that the titaniferous element in my pencils exists in all cases in substantial proportions, say not less in any case than three per centum of the mass and that when so existing it dominates the more conductive metal element with which it is as aforesaid associated, and controls the behavior of the latter in the pencil so that the iron for instance, which, as well known, is unavailable by itself alone for such pencils, owing to sparking when the current is turned on and the inadequacy and unsatisfactory character of the resulting light, fails to evince any=of these prohibiting characteristics even though it should. constitute as high as eighty per cent. of .the mass of my pencils-on the contrary the aforesaid advantages characteristicof my pencils are nevertheless maintained, the spectrum characteristic of titanium predominating. Moreover the presence of iron adds much to the steadi ness of the arc, the conversion into metal of the iron oxid fromthe mixture containing it and oxid of titanium'resulting in the formation of a very intimate connection between the iron and titanium oxid which gives to the electrode a remarkable homogenity, besides which this metal thus intimately con nected with the oxid renders the electrode a good conductor of heat and electricity at or inary temperatures.-

That my said pencils are properly designated as essentially metallic pencils even when comprising the titanic acid element as aforesaid also follows from the fact that to the positive electrode, the reverse 'as 1s understood, the case with pencils nontheir are normally moves from the ne ative eing,

metallic as for instance carbon pencils or carbon pencils to which other ingredients, as for instance metallic salts, have been added. I am not aware that metallic pencils have hitherto been constructed capable of being manufactured and used on an industrial scale. This ditference. in the direction of the ,arc characteristic.of my said essentially metallic pencils is of great importance and advantage. It results in the elimination in my positive electrode of the so called crater formed, during the passage of the current, in the carbon electrode and in which crater the heat and light of the highest intensity are concentrated. On the contrary the most intense heat and light are located at the upper surface of my negative electrode, and also the greatest dissemination of light is from the arc itself which is a luminous flaming arc, whereby as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art is secured a great increase not only of light efiiciency but also of light distribution.

Among the other advantages secured by reason of the essentially metallic character of my pencils may be mentioned the resulting considerably lower amperage required for their operation as compared with carbon or other non-metallic electrodes and the increased not be overlooked. Another notable feature of my said pencils consists in their availability for use in combination with a positive electrode composed of another metal as for instance copper, that is to say in an are light apparatus one of my said pencils the metallic constituent of which is a ferric material, by which I mean elemental iron in any Of'its forms, may be used as a negative electrode in coaction with a copper positive electrode for instance and with about the same beneficial results as though one of my said pencils was used for the positive and another of my said pencils for the negative electrode, the consequent economy of which will be apparent, the copper electrode re What, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is the following, viz

, 1. Ahomogeneous electrode for are lighting co nsisting of titanium oxid intimately nnxed and conglomerated with a metal hav-' ing greater conductivity than said oxid. 2. Ahomogeneous electrode for are lighting consistingof titanium oxid intimately mixed and conglomerated with iron.

3. An arc llght pencil comprising titanium oxid intimatel -mixed and conglom-,

erated with a metal aving greater conducfort tivity:A than said oxid, substantially asand e purposes described.

4. An are light pencil comprising titanium oxid intimately mixed and conglomerated with iron, substantially as and for the rmlsv v. a 8. An arc light electrode'essentially metal- I so ordinary temperatures and consisting nium compound.

7. An essentially metallic arc light elecpurposes described. V

5. An arc lightelectrode essentiall metallic in composition, containing meta 'c-iron and a titanium compound.

6. An are light electrode essentially metal lic in composition, and containing a titatrode comprising ferricand titamc mate- .11.,An essentially metallic are light elecprincipally of elemental iron trode composed and oxid of titamum. 12. An are light electrode composed principally of a, m xture of titanium in composition, containing titanium' oxidwi-thsome comparatively good conductingmetal which m consuming gives a luminous or flamin arc.

. 13. are light electrode composed principall of titanium oxid, and containing also mlxe with said oxid a metal in smaller proportion than said oxid.

14. An are light electrode" composed principall of titamum oxid and containing also mlxe with said oxid iron in portion than said oxi 15. An are light electrode composed prmsmaller procipally of titamum oxid and containing also ferric material mixed with said 0nd in smaller proportion than said oxid.

16. An essentially metallic'arc light. electrode conducting at ordinary temperatures containing at least 20 per cent. of titanium oxid, and, mixed with said oxid, iron in its elemental form. 17. An essentially metallic arc light electrode yielding an arc in whose spectrum titanium and iron lines predominate. y

18. An essentially metallic arc: light electrode conducting at ordinary temperatures,

containing titamum oxid. H

19. An are light electrode essentially metallic in composition, containing'titanium;

oxld.

20. An are light electrode having "as its principal constituents, elemental iron, and titanium chemically combined with oxygen.

21. An are light electrode composed principally of a mixture of titaniumioxid with metal in its elemental form.

22. An are light electrode composed largely of metal in its elemental form conglomerated with. a titanium: compound.

. FISADQR moors. 

